Breakfast Date
by Kurai Ummei
Summary: Sakura is dead inside after news of Sasuke's death. Time has passed, and now she spends her days as ANBU, where her emotionless-ness is appreciated. The people around her can't understand it, but the Kazekage sees someone just as broken as him.


Author's Note: Random oneshot. Insert disclaimer here.

'Blood spatter is so... inconvenient.' thought Sakura as she sliced through the jugular of yet another missing-nin from behind, a fount of blood shooting out to the beat of the

dying man's heart, spattering on the dry ground.

The sharp clang of steel on steel rang from several yards behind and to the right of the Kunoichi. One of the other ANBU was pressing a kunai attack on another missing-nin, the

startled traitor's wide eyes couldn't hide their terror as they were effortlessly over powered. Death was on its way, no doubt.

Sakura made a flying, chakra-enhanced leap; barreling into the seventh of fifteen missing nin that had gathered for what they thought was a secret meeting. The force of her

body slam slowing her, and sending the lanky enemy ninja flying into a tree; spine snapping on impact. At least the crunch of bone caused no such mess as flowing blood did.

"Small mercys." She whispered in a moment of stillness, before rounding on the next traitor to soon fall.

...

A nameless shack stood empty of life, a three man cell of Konoha ANBU hidden in nearby discrete places. Mission: Kill any missing-nin after interrogation, take no prisoners,

recover any possible intelligence on the where abouts of the feudal lord's third daughter.

In the silence of the forest, the seemingly endless weight was wearing on one ANBU. Finally bored beyond tears, he quietly called out to their team leader, Haruno Sakura, over

their wireless headsets. "Autumn, do you copy?"

The chatter of forest-life, animals and insects, reigned for a short time, and then... "Loud and clear. What?"

The ANBU suddenly realized he hadn't thought up a topic, he just couldn't sit idle anymore. Damnit, time to bullshit. "Are we sure this is the correct location? We've been

waiting an awfully long time..."

Sakura checked the unlit display of her thin, dark colored wrist-watch. It had been a mere 3 hours. "Affirmative. This is it." was all she said, lacking annoyance or interest,

before returning her full attention to the terrain.

"Ahh... ok thanks. Over."

An hour passed before the impatient ANBU considered calling their Captain again, a moment before he was about to send the call, he received one himself from their third member.

"Just chill man, and leave her be."

He tried to chuckle good-naturedly. "Why?"

"Because she wont talk to you, and you damn well know we aren't in the wrong place."

"Why wont she talk?" his brows tightening. He didn't really know her, hadn't met her before this mission. Obviously their companion had.

"Good Question." was all the reply he got.

Another few hours past, this waiting game becoming unbearable on the impatient ANBU once more. If he couldn't talk to his comrades, he could at least study them. And study he

did, until a nagging thought occurred to him. Why was their pink-haired, green-eyed Captain code named Autumn of all things?

Eventually he couldn't resist asking. Stuttering a little as he called in, and asked his mildly ridiculous questions.

"What codename do I look like I would be?" he could hear the flat line in her voice: annoyance.

"Well... uh, not Autumn. Maybe... Spring?"

"Exactly"

...

One.  
Two.  
Three.  
Four.  
Five...  
Nine...  
Seventeen...  
Twenty two.

Sakura checked her surroundings, making sure it was safe to drop her guard. During a delivery mission to Suna, she had been attacked by a group of ninja from the hidden village

of clouds. Tsunade warned her that what she carried might be well sought after, hence why the Hokage's apprentice herself was the one to carry it. It didn't result in any major

problems though, all twenty two attackers lie dead at her feet. Pity, they had waited until she was within 2 hours of Suna to gather their nerve. They should have stalled just

a bit longer and lived. Sakura sighed audibly and continued her journey.

...

Layered and caked in dried blood not her own, she began to walk the remainder of the way. Quickly coming in sight of the village gates, vivid green eyes showed nothing but

apathy as nervous guards asked her business. More politely than usual they gave her unnecessary directions to her delivery point and let her pass unhindered in the half-light of

dusk.

Kankuro say quietly atop the Hokage tower of Suna. Today was his day to 'guard' the Kazekage, but being the useless endeavor that it was, Gaara had disappeared before dawn, and

hadn't been seen since. Though somehow, finished paperwork made it's way onto Temari's desk. Glancing down at the mostly deserted main street, his entire body froze in sudden

fear. Gaara was walking slowly down the street toward the tower, covered in blood.

Wait.. no. Not Gaara, someone else. The puppet master's body unclenched slightly. Just slightly. He immediately jumped down and ran to the figure, quickly recognizing that

Haruno girl from Konoha by her bright pink hair.

He skidded to a halt as she raised listless eyes to his, but continued ambling forward with a wave of her hand. His breath caught, she looked too much like Gaara on a bad day

for his liking. Short pink hair looked more red in the desert sunset. Empty green eyes, and an unhealthy smattering of blood everywhere. He shivered, just a little.

Collecting himself,"Haruno? What happened to you?" he tried for jest. "You look like a Zombie!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and shrugged. "Ran into enemy-nin on my way here. I have a package for Gaara-sama."

Disappointed at her non-reaction to his witty joke, Kankuro grunted and motioned for her to follow him.

...

Sakura had been sitting for what seemed like two days, waiting for Gaara to show. Temari and Kankuro sat working at their desks, small work spaces on either side of Gaara's oak

wood monstrosity, which looked like it didn't get a lot of attention, but was clean of papers or clutter. They had long since given up trying to entertain or chat with a non-

responsive Sakura, but unable to leave her alone as hosts, nor able to accept a package marked for the Kazekage directly, they instead hit the paperwork.

The hours ticked by.

Sometime just before Midnight, Gaara walked in. Likely intending to grab more work, and take off somewhere less confining to do it, he noticed the waiting, still bloody,

Kunoichi.

He paused in front of her, and simply looked at her. She reached into her packs, snagged the package, and extended it to him. Gaara's held his palm out, and took the small brown

box gingerly. He glanced at the little box, at her, and back at it again.

She bowed deeply, and made for the doorway.

Kankuro and Temari shared a look behind the Kage's back. What the hell?

The door clicked closed softly, and Gaara stood stock still, continuing to stare after her.

...

Sakura had almost reached the gates of Suna, when a large spiraling mass of sand suddenly blocked in her path. It cleared in moments to reveal Gaara. He walked closer, and she

stood there. He marveled that she simply stood there. No one, not even his siblings, perhaps especially his siblings, simply stood there when in his presence. Who could face him

without even a drop of fear in their eyes or their smell?

"Why?" His rarely used voice grated, as if it too were made of sand.

"Why what, Gaara-sama?" Her hair, too heavy with sweat and blood from the battle hours-past, didn't move with the light desert breeze. She seemed outside of time and reality,

unmoving as she was.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Normally, perhaps the shy man would not ask such a direct questions. But this... stillness, well, it had his curiosity.

Sakura stopped, normally unfazed by anything at all, his surprising question made her take a slow breath. Why? She asked herself. A few moments of consideration, and she knew.

Answer him, or evade the question? Well... what did it matter? "I can't feel fear anymore."

"Why?"

"He's dead."

"..." He was silent, his word allotment for the entire week nearly used up. Surely it wasn't Naruto. Then... it must be the angry Uchiha.

She decided a few more words, wouldn't kill her. "Sa... Sasu..." She cleared her throat, still unable to say his name since it had happened. "He went up against His brother, and

lost."

Gaara tilting his head, trying to understand how one death was powerful enough to rob a person, especially a person that was once so happy, so cheerful, of their emotions. It

had taken countless deaths to make him the way he was, and yet... Yashamaru. The Kazekage regarded her closely. "So... you're broken?"

"... yes." Close enough.

He nodded thoughtfully, and walked closer until he was less than a foot away. She blinked at him, wondering why he was even questioning her. She had no idea, really, but he did.

Without so much as a warning, he swept her up in his sand, and teleported them as close to Konoha as he could.

Sakura ended up flat on her ass from the trip, teleporting was no fun experience. She stood slowly, and he nodded at her again.

"Haruno, I will be at your village gates next Sunday at 630am." He ran out of words. "Breakfast." he finished simply, and disappeared in a swirl of sand.

Of all the strange things, this was by far the strangest to happen to the Kunoichi in some time. Enough to merit verbal musings. "Did... the Kazekage just set us up on a...

breakfast date?"

He sure did. 


End file.
